Fuel filter with sediment chamber



Aug. 24, 1 A. N. SZWARGULSKI ETAL 3,202,287

FUEL FILTER WITH SEDIMENT CHAMBER Original Filed Sept. 16, 1957 FIG.4. /7

FIG.6.

ALEX N. SZWARGULSW EDGAR W. NIEMEYER FIG. 7.

United States Patent FUEL FILTER WITH SEDIMENT CHAMBER Alex N. Szwargulsiti, St. Louis, and Edgar W. Niemeyer,

Normandy, Mo., assignors to ACE Industries, Incorporated, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey Continuation of application Ser. No. 684,301, Sept. 16,

1957. This application Oct. 2, 1961, Ser. No. 142,406

2 Claims. (Cl. 210-306) This application is a continuation of the co-pending application filed by applicants, Serial No. 684,301, on September 16, 1947, now abandoned.

This invention relates to fuel filters for internal combustion engines and, more particularly, to a filter adapted to be interposed in and to conform generally to the contour of a fuel line extending between a fuel pump and a carburetor for the purpose of removing foreignparticles from the fuel. I

During the past few years, the trend in automobile designhas been to reduce the height of cars, increase the size of engines, and to add auxiliary engine equipment under the hood, thereby creating a rather, crowded underhood condition. Due to the limited available under-hood space, it is desirable to reduce the size of certain devices on and around the engine in order. to conserve such space. It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a fuel filter which occupies a minimum amount of space.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of an elongated cylindrical filter adapted to be mounted in an upright branch of a fuel line and conforming generally to the shape thereof, whereby the fuel line and filter may be arranged to suit the space conditions under the hood. I

A further object of the invention resides inthe provision of a tubular ceramic filter element enclosed within telescopically engaged housing sections providing coaxial inlet and outlet nozzles for attachment by means of rubber nipples to a fuel line.

Another object of the invention is to provide an elongated cylindrical filter structure provided at the fuel inlet end thereof with a sediment chamber to receive foreign particles removed from the fuel.

Another object is to provide a filterwhich is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and may be replaced at small expense after a predetermined service period.

The invention embodies other novel features, details of construction, and arrangement of parts which are hereinafter set forth in the specification and claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a schematic view of a fuel system including a filter, in accordance with the invention and as applied to an internal combustion engine.

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the filter of FIGURE 1, in accordance with the invention.

FIGURE 3 is a view partly in section of the filter element used in the filter of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view of the filter body section of the filter of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 5 is an end view of the filter body section of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged partial sectional view of the filter body section of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 7 is another enlarged partial sectional View of the filter body section in accordance with the invention.

FIGURE 8 is a sectional view of a filter subassembly used in the filter shown in FIGURE 2.

Referring now to the drawings for a better understanding of the invention, a fuel system for an internal combustion engine 2 is shown as comprising a conduit 3 leading from a source of fuel to the inlet side of a pump 3,202,237 Patented Aug. 24, 1965 ice 4. A conduit 6 leadsfrom the outlet side of the pump to the inlet of a fuel filter 7. Another conduit 8 leads from the filter outlet' to an inlet of a constant level float bowl 9 of a conventional downdraft carburetor 11 mounted on the engine intake manifold 12. The filter inletand. out-. let are provided with nozzles connected to their respec-- tive conduits by means of suitable rubber nipples and clamps (not shown). i

A fuel filter 7 embodying features of the invention is shown as comprising a tubular ceramic. filter element 13mounted within a 'housing, indicated generally at 14. Thehousing is preferablyformed of several telescopically engaged sheet metal sections to therebyreduce the cost of manufacture, but it will be apparent that the housing may, if desired, be formed of other materials.

The housing 14'is shown as comprising an elongated body section 16 having a tubular side wall 17 and an end wall 18 providing an annular seat 19 for engagement with one end of the filter element 13. A conical boss 21 formed on the end wall 18projects inwardly from the inner periphery of the seat19 for the purpose-of centering the filter element on the seat during assembly of the filter. Afplurality of circumferentially spaced,-elongated, arcuate slots 22 (FIGURES) are formed in the end wall 18 between the annular seat 19: and the side wall 17 to form a plurality of resilient bridge portions 23 adapted to yieldably resist axial movement: of the seat relative to the. side wall.

An outlet nozzle section 24 is formed with a nozzle 26 mergingw-ith the inner periphery of anannularseat 27 for abutting engagement withthe other end of the filter element 13. A cup-shaped tubular skirt 28, formedwith a reduced guide portion 29 merging with the outer periphery of the seat 27 to provide an x-apertured cup portion, is provided on the outlet nozzle section 24 for snug telescopic engagement over the open end of the body section 16. The skirt 28 is also formed with an outwardly flaring rim portion 31 to facilitate assembly and also for lealcproof, soldered engagement with the side wall 17 of the body section 16.

The outer end of the nozzle 26 is formed with an annular recess 32 (FIGURE 8) to receive a loop 33 formed at the end of a resilient wire support 34 secured to a permanent magnet 36. By forming the support of resilient wire, the loop 33 is adapted to be readily mounted in or removed from the recess 32, .and, as is clearly shown in the drawing, the magnet 36 and support 34 are smaller than the inside diameter of outlet nozzle 26, facilitating easy removal and emplacement of the magnet through the outlet end of the assembled filter for removing accumulations of magnetic particles.

An inlet nozzle section 37 comprises a nozzl 38 provided with a skirt 39 for snug telescopic engagement over the end of the body section .16, the skirt having an outwardly flaring rim portion 41 to facilitate assembly and soldered leak-proof engagement with the side wall 17 of the body section. A standpipe 42 is press-fitted into the nozzle 38 to define with the skirt an annular sediment chamber 43.

To insure a leakproof joint between the filter element 13 and the annular seats 19 and 27, the ends of the element are, preferably, coated at 44 to a thickness of, for example, 0.010 inch with a suit-able gasoline resistant sealing compound which may serve .as a gasket, adhesive or cement, between the abutting surfaces; The sealing compound may "be applied to ends of the filter element in a liquid condition to seal the openings therein.

In assembly of the filter structure, the filter element 13 is first coated at its ends (see FIGURE 3) with a suitable sealing compound 44 and then inserted into the :body section 16 to engage the seat 19. The skirt of the outlet nozzle section 24 is then sleeved over the open end of the body section to engage the seat 27 against the filter elementwith sufiicient force to move the end wall 18 outwardly from its position shown in FIGURE 6 to its position shown in FIGURES 7 and 8 to thus flex the resilient bridge portions 23; after which, the skirt rim 31 is soldered to the side wall 17, as shown in FIGURE 8.

The skirt 39 of the inlet nozzle section 37 is then sleeved onto the other end of the body section 16 and secured thereto by soldering the skirt rim portion 41 to the side wall 17, as illustrated in FIGURE 2.

In the use of the filter for removing foreign particles from liquid fuel, the fuel is forced under pump pressure through the inlet nozzle 38, sediment chamber 43, slots 22, and filter element 13. As the fuel passes through the filter element, some of the foreign particles are separated therefrom and are collected in the sediment chamber 43. As the filtered fuel passes outwardly through the outlet nozzle 26, any iron'particles therein are attracted to and collected on the permanent magnet 36.

It will be noted that the filter thus shownand described is particularly adapted for use in automobile fuel lines for the purpose of saving space, as the fuel line serves as the sole support for the filter. As the filter is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, it may be discarded and replaced by a new filter after a predetermined period of use. The permanent magnet and its 'wire support may, of course, be removed from the filter for cleaning and inserted back into the filter, or it may b removed from the discarded filter for use in the new filter. It will also be noted that the stressed bridge portions 23 act, after assembly ofthe filter, to bias the seats IQ and 27 against the opposite ends of the filter element 13 with suflicient force to maintain leakproof joints therebetween.

Certain structures have been described herein which will fulfill all the objects of the present invention, but it is contemplated that other modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art which come within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A fuel filter comprising an elongated tubular body said transverse wall including a centrally positioned in wardly projecting conical boss, a plurality of apertures spaced by bridge portions around the outer periphery of said transverse wall and an annular seat positioned between said spaced apertures and the base of said conical boss, a cup-shaped element having .a nozzle at the end thereof and an annular shoulder extending laterally about said nozzle, the end of said cup-shaped element being telescoped with and sealed to the other end of said tubular body member, a tubular filter fitted within andspa'ced from said tubular body member, said tubular filter having one end thereof seated against said annular seat portion of said transverse wall and the other end thereof seated against the annular shoulder of said cup-shaped element, a tubular inlet structure including a cylindrical portion and an end wall portion, said cylindrical portion telescopically fitting said one end of said tubular body and being in sealed relationship therewith, said end wall portion including an outwardly extending centrally positioned nozzle structure, and a standpipe sealed in said nozzle structure and having one end thereof extending into said tubular inlet structure to a point beneath and spaced from said conical boss to provide a sediment chamber thereabout.

2. The structure of claim 1 characterized in that the bridge portions spacing the apertures around the outer portion of said transverse wall are resilient to yieldingly resist axial movement of the seat relative to the tubular body member. i

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 6/52 Muirhead 210-452 '4/ Korte 210223 REUBEN FRIEDMAN, Primary Examiner.

HARRY B.'THORNTON, HERBERT L. MARTIN,

Examiners. 

1. A FUEL FILTER COMPRISING AN ELONGATED TUBULAR BODY MEMBER HAVING A TRANSVERSE WALL CLOSING ONE END THEREOF, SAID TRANSVERSE WALL INCLUDING A CENTRALLY POSITIONED IN WARDLY PROJECTING CONICAL BOSS, A PLURALITY OF APERTURES SPACED BY BRIDGE PORTIONS AROUND THE OUTER PERIPHERY OF SAID TRANSVERSE WALL AND AN ANNULAR SEAT POSITIONED BETWEEN SAID SPACED APERTURES AND THE BASE OF SAID CONICAL BOSS, A CUP-SHAPED ELEMENT HAVING A NOZZLE AT THE END THEREOF AND AN ANNULAR SHOULDER EXTENDING LATERALLY ABOUT SAID NOZZLE, THE END OF SAID CUP-SHA ELEMENT BEING TELESCOPED WITH SAND SEALED TO THE OTHER END OF SAID TUBULAR BODY MEMBER, A TUBULAR FILTER FITTED WITHIN AND SPACED FROM SAID TUBULAR BODY MEMBER, SAID TUBULAR FILTER HAVING ONE END THEREOF SEATED AGAINST SAID ANNULAR SEAT PORTION OF SAID TRANSVERSE WALL AND THE OTHER END THEREOF SEATED AGAINST THE ANNULAR SHOULDER OF SID CUP-SHAPED ELEMENT, A TUBULAR INLET STRUCTURE INCLUDING A CYLINDRICAL PORTION AND AN END WALL PORTION, SAID CYLINDRICAL PORTION TELESCOPICALLY FITTING SAID ONE END OF SAID TUBULAR BODY AND BEING IN SEALED RELATIONSHIP THEREWITH, SAID END WALL PORTION INCLUDING AN OUTWARDLY EXTENDING CENTRALLY POSITIONED NOZZE STRUCTURE, AND A STANDPIPE SEALED IN SAID NOZZLE STRUCTURE AND HAVING ONE END THEREOF EXTENDING INTO SAID TUBULAR INLET STRUCTURE TO A POINT BENEATH AND SPACED FROM SAID CONICAL BOSS TO PROVIDE A SEDIMENT CHAMBER THEREABOUT. 